Govardhana Murthy acquitted in actor Vinod murder case

The sessions court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the involvement of the accused

Realtor-turned-film producer B.M. Govardhana Murthy was on Wednesday acquitted along with six others in the killing of actor Vinod Kumar four years ago. The sessions court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the involvement of the accused and for lack of evidence.

Murthy was arrested from Kerala where he was hiding after allegedly shooting down 32-year-old Vinod Kumar during a party at a farm on the outskirts of Bangalore in October 2008.

Initially the police charged Murthy with murdering Vinod Kumar in revenge as the girl whom Murthy had proposed to, later got engaged to Vinod Kumar.

Defence counsel C.H.. Hanumanthraya said that all the evidence submitted was concocted. Mr. Hanumantharaya told the media after the sessions court ruling that the dying declaration of Vinod Kumar in the hospital was fabricated as the cross-examination of the medical officials proved that Vinod Kumar could not have spoken even 15 minutes after the shooting.

At least one hour elapsed from the time Kumar was shot, to his admission in hospital owned by his fiancee’s father, he said.

Mr. Hanumantharaya said that the point of argument was that the two cartridges seized from the scene of crime did not “bear the firing mark” and even the blood-soaked shirt of Vinod Kumar had been replaced with another by the police for reasons best known to them, he said.

Defence counsel further said that the prosecution had neither summoned eight eyewitnesses nor examined the complainant Shankar Reddy. Instead, they summoned two witnesses to depose before the court against Mr. Murthy. While one among the witness is a close friend of Vinod Kumar another was a relative, both of whom were called for deposition but who had not been present when the shooting took place.